Hexoses

The objective of this article is to illustrate and visualize the structures and concepts related to the structures of glucose (aldohexose) and fructose (ketohexose).

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The figure to the left contains glucose drawn as a Fischer projection structure. The most oxidized group, in this case the aldehyde group, is is drawn at the top, all horizontal bonds project to the front of the plane of the screen and all vertical bonds are assumed to project behind the plane of the screen. A structure meeting these characteristics is seen in the scene to the right.

Figure: Fischer Projection Structure of D-Glucose.